Workflow Orchestration

Execute and manage complex workflows with multiple phases and validation points.

Core Execution Principles

1. Phase-Based Execution

Break workflows into distinct phases with clear boundaries:

Phase 1: Analysis → Phase 2: Implementation → Phase 3: Validation

Each phase should have:

• Clear entry criteria (what must be true to start)
• Defined deliverables (what it produces)
• Exit criteria (when it's complete)

2. Visible Progress

Track progress explicitly so status is always clear:

### Phase 2: Implementation 🔄
- [x] Core functionality
- [ ] Edge cases
- [ ] Tests

Symbols: ✅ Complete | 🔄 In Progress | ⏸️ Blocked | ❌ Failed

3. Graceful Recovery

Every workflow should handle failures:

• Define contingency plans before starting
• Know when to rollback vs. retry vs. escalate
• Document failures for future learning

Workflow Patterns

Sequential

Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 → Done

Use when: Each step depends on the previous step's output

Parallel

     ┌→ Task A ┐
Start├→ Task B ├→ Merge → Continue
     └→ Task C ┘

Use when: Tasks are independent and can run concurrently

Iterative

Plan → Execute → Review → [Refine] → Loop until done

Use when: Requirements evolve or refinement cycles needed

Progress Tracking

For detailed tracking patterns, see guides/progress-tracking.md.

Quick reference - Status template:

## Workflow Status

### Phase 1: [Name] ✅
- [x] Task completed

### Phase 2: [Name] 🔄
- [x] Task done
- [ ] Task pending

Error Handling

For error handling strategies, see guides/error-handling.md.

Quick reference - When failures occur:

1. Rollback: If implementation broke existing functionality
2. Retry: If failure was due to correctable issue
3. Escalate: If issue is beyond current scope

Workflow Templates

For ready-to-use templates, see guides/workflow-templates.md.

Available templates:

• Bug Fix Workflow
• Feature Development Workflow
• Refactoring Workflow
• Investigation Workflow

Best Practices Checklist

• Workflow broken into clear phases
• Each phase has entry/exit criteria
• Progress tracked with status symbols
• Contingency plans defined
• Deliverables specified for each phase
• Recovery strategy known before starting